bridge washed away, dam overtopped and destroyed.

http://norfolkdailynews.com/news/ri...7d604c4-473b-11e9-a40a-2b96d3291910.html

NIOBRARA — This Northeast Nebraska village, which has been moved twice because of flooding since it was incorporated more than a century ago, was again hit hard by flood waters this week.

Residents of the community of about 370 people were without drinking water as of Friday morning and at last three businesses are believed to have been wiped out.

Valorie Zach, a Niobrara businesswoman, said the western part of town had water flowing through it Thursday. Zach said she saw actual buildings go rushing by as the Niobrara River flowed out of its banks.

“It was like nothing we had ever seen,” she said Friday morning.

Many residents in town and nearby rural areas are surrounded by water, so the job of assessing the damage was just beginning Friday morning.

The lack of drinking water is because the tanks to the pipe of the water tower cracked, resulting in an emergency being declared.

The Niobrara River crested Thursday at Verdel at 17.4 feet, which was a record. The previous record was 10.6 feet.

A meteorologist with the National Weather Service said the crest was the result of a brief surge. He wouldn't attribute it to the Spencer dam being compromised, which also happen Thursday.

At least three bridges over the Niobrara River are either gone or partially submerged — the Mormon Canal, the Pischeville Bridge and the Red Bird Bridge.

“It’s not like anything I have seen,” Zach said.

Zach said the main street part of Niobrara, which has been moved previously to higher elevations, was safe. It was the area remaining in the lower portion that was wiped out, she said.

The new high school is on higher ground and is safe.

Reports were that members of the Nebraska National Guard were already in town assisting or would be arriving Friday to assist.

Zach said communication is spotty as there are many places without phone and internet service.

Even the Niobrara businesses and homes that are on higher ground will not be able to do business or live like usual because of the lacking of water, she said.

Prayers for those people. Floods are life changers.

+10

A herd of 350 cows below that dam was almost completely washed away, I heard just a hand full survived. A person crossing one of those bridges when it went is still missing.

There was a very popular bar behind that Dam. Angels Strawbale Saloon, The Owner Ken Angel was in it when the Dam Broke. RIP Ken. Drank allot of beers in there. My cabin is safe on the Missouri. But my hunting lease on the Niobrara is sad. We had a small island as part of it with a Sportsman's Condo blind on it. But minor compared to some who lost everything. The Ice from the lake did allot of damage.

Taint the only one Magee. We got hit hard 6-7 towns evacuated dozens more in sad shape. It’s a mess around here.

My Mother in law lives on a sand pit near the Platte River. Had to be air lifted out this morning. I guess her broom was broken. All that water from up North hitting Omaha today the next few days. It's getting pretty ugly.

This is in NW Iowa and usually a creek about ten feet wide. I hesitated to cross initially but you can see in the rear view mirror the water was still a ways from the road. Flooding here and in Sioux Falls, SD about sixty mi to the northwest was historic.

Were there any RVs in the that RV park at the time of the flood?

A guy can drive by tiny creeks and massive powerful rivers on any given day for decades without giving them a 2nd thought as they flow along within their banks. Then one day you get an early rain with a big wind that melts snow cracks and releases giant ice chunks and for a day or 2 you get a front-row seat to just how much "power" that water has.

I've been exceptionally lucky during the flooding that's taken place in places where I live, but I truly feel for those in the path. Ugh.

Can you imagine the feeling of having a bridge go out under your feet? My question would be be, though - was it just really bad luck or was he doing something really stupid?

I live South of Plattsmouth on an acreage this was the East end of town yesterday,,Missouri came up so fast folks couldn't get out,so many camper trailers floating away looked like a regatta ...Several cities totally isolated with no way in or out presently.

The culprit...Deep snow pack all winter,ice jambs + heavy rain = disaster





Cattle stranded on islands in the Platte River

https://www.1011now.com/content/news/One-dead-in-floods-in-Platte-County-507171681.html

I feel for all those poor souls. We went through it and are still dealing with it here. Flood stage here is 370', we hit 399'. Some places look like a bomb went off. Roads just east of me have only opened up in the past day or two. People without electric for over 3 weeks and still no power. Houses missing, cattle killed etc etc.

It's a frigging mess

I live in between Columbus and Grand island, we usually have 15-20 trains a day on the major East-West route. Saw the first train in 2 days go through and it was loaded with track and bridge repair equipment. No others. Ouch. 2-3 feet of water in all the ditches and around the tracks.

Prayers for all involved. Hasbeen

Just for perspective, Nebraska has 79,082 miles of river (think that’s #1 in the nation) and everyone of them flooded.

As later posts show, he was trying to help others. The question does bring to mind The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

Yeah, no.

What a flippin' mess!

Yes and yes sorry.
https://www.reference.com/geography/state-miles-rivers-5bf7b835e507e358

Nebraska has more miles of rivers than any other state in the nation. Four major rivers exist in Nebraska, in addition to smaller ones. The Platte, the Niobrara, the Missouri and the Republican all drain many square miles of land.

The Platte River, which starts at the city of North Platte, is formed from the North Platte River and the South Platte River and eventually empties into the Missouri River. The Platte flows through the center of the state from west to east. The Niobrara River also crosses the state from west to east, but it goes through the northern part of the state and flows into the Missouri River. The Republican River crosses the southern portion of the state.

Interesting about Nebraska having more river miles than any other state! I’d have been sure that Alaska was #1 but they aren’t, Nebraska is although Alaska has more rivers than Nebraska it doesn’t have more river miles (which is hard to wrap my mind around). I did some quick googling and that seems correct.

My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by flooding. I know have devastating and life changing they can be and have performed a lot of rescues when we had a “hundred year flood” years ago. Things can be replaced, memories last forever but life is precious.

Shame they can’t pipe some of that water into Lake Meade.

It is a shame.
Many many people’s lives will be changed forever.

And all with great historys.

Nebraska is flat. Kinda rhymes with Platte (as in river). However, beautiful country most of the time. I spend much time there.

There's a good bit of the water from those 79k miles of river spilling over the levee on our side of the MO. We have some good folks from church who live down in the bottom that have only roofs above water right now. I brought up some steers one of them is feeding and stuck them in my feedlot on Friday. They'd be floating to Missouri now if they had been left there.

This is devastating.


I love living in and farming this hill ground.